TYPE 2 diabetes is a serious condition that involves the insulin made by the pancreas not working properly. Sleeping patterns could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Are you at risk?

Diabetes could be caused by a lack of sleep, as the body's reaction to sleep loss can resemble insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. A BNF task force report "Cardiovascular disease: diet, nutrition and emerging risk factors" published earlier this year, highlighted that lack of sleep, and interrupted sleep may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Sleep deprivation is an often overlooked but is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes and sleep problems often go hand in hand and there is evidence that not sleeping well can increase the risk of developing diabetes.

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This is because sleep deprivation causes the hormones in the body to become erratic.

Ongoing sleep deprivation means that less insulin is released in the body after eating. Stress hormones, cortisol, are released thanks to a lack of insulin making it even harder for insulin to do its job effectively.

The resulting increase of glucose in the bloodstream could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Doctor Lucy Chambers, senior scientist at BNF said: “The implications of a bad night's sleep can go much further than feeling tired.

"Where lack of, and disturbed sleep can lead to both adults and young people feeling grumpy and irritable, regular poor quality sleep can have a negative impact on dietary choices, including higher intakes of calories and more frequent snacking on less healthy foods.”

Dietician Chloe McLeod explains that when you’re tired higher levels of grehlin, known as the hunger hormone, are released, while leptin levels, the hormone that tells you when you have had enough food, are lowered.